Tool for affixing fence lattice



F. VECCHIARELLI 3,340,906

TOOL FOR AFFIXING FENCE LATTICE 2 Sheets-Sheet l Sept. 12, 1967 Filed March 24, 1964 INVENTOR. FRANCIS ECCHIARELLI BY I p 12, 17967 F. VECCHIARELLI 3,340,906

TOOL FOR AFFIXING FENCE LATTICE Filed March 24, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1:

INVENTOR. FRANCIS VECCHIARELLI g' T W United States Patent 3,340,906 I TOOL FOR AFFIXING FENCE LATTICE Francis Vecchiarelli, River Edge, N.J., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Alcan Aluminum Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Mar. 24, 1964, Ser. No. 354,234 8 Claims. (Cl. 140-117) The instant invention relates to fences, and more particularly to a novel method and apparatus for use in chain link fence structures employing slats to produce fencing for providing a high degree of privacy wherein the novel method and apparatus are applied for securing the ends of the slats to the chain link fencing.

Chain link fences find very widespread use throughout the world due to the fact that they provide an extremely strong fencing structure for fencing off property; fencing in cattle; enclosing buildings, factories, etc. Such fence structures are extremely dependable and provide extremely long, useful operating lives. However, such fences do not find widespread use for homes, apartments and the like due to the fact that they are not decorative or aesthetically pleasing. However, of late, it has been found that through the inter-weaving of the chain link fence with brightly colored elongated metallic slats, the chain link fence structure becomes extremely decorative and further provides the user of such fence with a high degree of privacy for the area enclosed therewith.

Basically, the chain link fence structure is formed of a wire fabric which is bent in such a way as to define a regular pattern of diamond shaped openings. The chain link fence is supported by vertically mounted poles placed at spaced intervals along the running length of the fence, which poles are secured to the chain link fence in any suitable manner. The poles or posts are usually embedded in cement or concrete to provide a substantially rigid support. A horizontal supporting member is normally pro vided, which member is supported by each of the posts along their topmost ends. The fabric of the chain link fence is so formed that the diagonal-1y aligned diamond shaped openings form a trough which runs diagonally starting from the top either towards the right or towards the left and downwardly, which troughs are employed for the purpose of receiving the decorative slats.

The slats are formed from a sheet material and are provided with an arcuate shape transverse to the length of the slats, so as to form a crown. The arcuate shape acts to cause the slats to remain straight and rigid, and even though a slat may be bent at any position along its length it will immediately snap back when the bending force is removed. Upon release of the bending forces, the slat will automatically return to the straight, fiat position. The slats are inserted in a diagonal fashion into each of the neighboring diagonally aligned troughs which the mesh or fabric of the chain link forms. The width of each slat is made slightly greater than the distance between the wires forming the mesh so that some frictional engagement is present between the slats and the wire forming the chain link fabric. Each diagonally aligned trough of the entire length of the fencing is provided with a slat in order to produce a chain link fence which provides a substantially high degree of privacy. If greater privacy is desired, it is further possible to criss-cross the slats in the criss-cross diagonally aligned troughs so that very little, if any, opening exists along the entire length of the fence, to prevent substantially any visibility through the fence lattice structure.

While the wire forming the mesh of the chain link fence prevents the inserted slats from exibiting any lateral motion, the slats may nevertheless experience longitudinal motion relative to the chain link structure due to the 3,3403% Patented Sept. 12, 1967 fact that the frictional engagement between the chain link mesh and the elongated slats is not so great as to prevent such longitudinal motion. In addition thereto, were the frictional engagement so great, this would prevent insertion of the slats into the troughs of the chain link fence.

The instant invention provides for a novel method and apparatus for securing opposite ends of the slats to the chain link structure so as to prevent any longitudinal motion whatsoever to be experienced by the slats, to thereby provide an extremely reliable and decorative chain link structure in which the slats provided therein are permanently secured into position in the troughs of the chain link fence and without the need for any fastening members whatsoever.

The instant invention is comprised of a hand or poweroperated tool employed for the purpose of securing the ends of the slats to the chain link fence. The tool is comprised of an elongated substantially E-shaped member wherein one arm located at one end of the first member forms a seating means for a resilient pad. The central arm of the hand or power-operated tool is provided with a suitable opening for receiving a reciprocally mounted push-rod, having a blade secured to one end thereof and positioned adjacent the resilient pad. The opposite end of the push-rod is pivotally linked to.a handle linkage member which has a toggle link pivotally secured intermediate the ends thereof. The opposite end of the toggle link is pivotally mounted to the remaining arm of the E-shaped member, which acts as a stationary means for the rotating toggle link. Spring means is secured between the reciprocally mounted push-rod and the main portion of the E-shaped member for biasing the blade member in a direction away from the resilient cushion.

Preparatory to employing the hand or power-operated tool, the elongated slats are inserted into the fence by pushing each of said slats into the troughs of the fence, which are aligned in a diagonal direction. The slats must be pushed into position since they are normally wider than the mesh in order to provide a locking effect therebetween. One object of the instant invention is to eliminate the need for accurate location of a slat and to allow for variations in mesh dimensions end to end. This object is accomplished by the fence securement method employed herein which cuts away any excess slat material. The opposite ends of each slat are positioned so that they overlap a portion of the wire forming the chain link fence fabric which is transverse to the length of the slat. The end of the slat is sufficiently long enough so that it may be bent around this wire, so as to form a small flap. The tool is then positioned relative to the flap formed about the transverse wire, so that the resilient cushion rests against the major portion of the slat and so that the reciprocally mounted blade faces the flap formed from the end of the slat. The tool is then operated by squeezing the handle linkage in a direction so as to collapse it toward the substantially E-shaped member, thereby causing the blade to make engagement with the flap. The main portion of the slat which lies immediately behind the flap acts as a rigid back-up plate'so as to satisfactorily secure the flap, enabling it to be cut by the blade. The blade in moving into engagement with the flap, before actually performing the cutting operation, causes the flap to be formed tightly about the transverse wire of the chain link fence.

After cutting through the flap, the blade continues to move in the cutting direction, making engagement with the main portion of the slat which is immediately behind the cut portion of the flap. The blade, however, does not cut the slat portion lying behind the cut flap due to the presence of the resilient cushion which yields to such a high degree so as to cause the main portion of the slat to undergo only very slight bending. The resilient pad not only serves to minimize the risk of cutting the other slat, but also provides the pressure pad which holds the slat and prevents the continued slipping of the free end around the mesh wire at a certain point under the forward pressure of the cutting edge. The friction of wire against slat becomes greater than the strength of the material of the slat resisting the cutting forces and the slat tears and breaks. There is a combination and balancing of forces wherein the resilient pad makes an important contribution to this result. It also by its action obtains greater conformity of the formed slat to the wire. In this position the handle linkage is completely collapsed against the E- shaped member of the tool so that the forming and cutting operation is completed. Release of the handle linkage causes the spring member to return the handle linkage to the extended position away from the body of the E- shaped member, which simultaneously moves the cutting blade away from the elongated slat.

A back-up plate is adjustably secured to the body portion of the E-shaped member, immediately adjacent the resilient cushion, such that the forward end of the backup plate lies in close proximity to the surface of the cushion. The back-up plate is adjustably positioned a predetermined distance away from the cutting blade, which distance is equal to the diameter of the fence wire material plus the thickness of the slat which i formed around the fence wire, plus some extremely slight tolerance. The back-up plate serves the function of causing the portion of the flap remaining after the cut to be very tightly curled about the wire of the chain link fence, so as to be very rigidly secured thereto. The edge along which the slat is cut is bent around the wire to such a degree that it is virtually impossible to have any portion of the body make engagement with the cut edge.

The lower end of the slat inserted into the chain link fence trough is also formed and cut in a like manner, causing opposite ends of the slat to be secured along the upper and lower ends of the chain link fence. The two formed or curled ends coact against one another so as to prevent any longitudinal motion whatsoever of the slat within the trough of the chain link fence.

This manner of securing the slats to the chain link fence requires no additional fastening mean whatsoever, and the cutting and forming operation is performed read ily and simply through one brief squeezing operation of the hand or power-operated tool handle linkage. The above manner of securing slats to the chain link fence permits the slat lengths to be cut right on the job and no critical measurement of slat lengths is necessary, with the only requirement being that each slat length is long enough so a to permit the forming of a flap at each end thereof to facilitate the forming and cutting operation by the hand or power-operated tool.

It is therefore one object of the instant invention to provide a novel method and apparatus for securing elongated metallic slats to a chain link fence.

Another object of the instant invention is to provide a novel hand or power-operated tool for securing elongated metallic slats to chain link fences and the like.

Sitll another object of the instant invention is to provide a novel hand or power-operated tool for securing elongated slats to chain link fences and the like, wherein the novel tool completely avoids the need for any independent fastening means whatsoever.

Still another object of the instant invention is to provide a novel hand or power-operated tool for securing slats to chain link fences and the like, wherein the tool is comprised of a reciprocally mounted cutting blade which performs the dual functions of curling the slats at the ends thereof and cutting the excess portion of the slats away.

Still another object of the instant invention is to provide a novel hand or power operated tool for securing metallic slats to chain link fences and the like, wherein 4 the tool is comprised of a reciprocally mounted forming and cutting blade operated by a simple toggle arrangement.

Still another object of the instant invention is to provide a novel hand or power operated tool for securing elongated metallic slats to chain link fences and the like, wherein the novel tool is comprised of a reciprocally mounted toggle operated blade member enabling the forming and cutting operation of the elongated slats to be performed by one squeeze of the tool handle linkage.

These and other objects of the instant invention will become apparent when reading the accompanying description and drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 shows a side view'of a chain link fence assembly.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the hand or power operated tool of the instant invention.

FIGURES 3a and 3b are side and bottom views, respectively, of the hand or power operated tool of FIG- URE 2.

FIGURE 4 shows a portion of the chain link fence of FIGURE 1 in greater detail.

FIGURE 4a shows a portion of the chain link fence of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 4b shows an alternative fence arrangement to that shown in FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 5 is an end view showing one of the slats in a portion of the fence shown in FIGURE 4.

Referring now to the drawings, FIGURE 1 shows a chain link fence structure designated generally by the numeral 10 which is comprised of the chain link Wire fence composed of a wire fabric or mesh 11 so as to form the substantially diamond shaped openings 12. The upper and lower ends of the chain link wire mesh are secured by twisting the ends of the wire 11 together to form the barbs 13. The wire mesh 11 is secured to the fence posts 15 by the wire loops 16, the ends of which are twisted so as to form the barbs 17 to rigidly secure the chain link mesh 11 to the vertical posts 15. Posts 15 are embedded into the earth 18 and may further be embedded in cement 19 to further enhance the rigidity and support of the vertical post 15 and hence the chain link fence 10.

The upper ends of posts 15 are provided with suitable collar members 20 having openings of sufiicient dimen sions for receiving a horizontally aligned tubular support member 21, which provides still further rigidity for the structure. Chain link fabric or mesh 11 may be secured to the horizontal support 21 by wire loops such as, for example, the wire loop 22, which is also twisted to form a barb 22a for securing the upper end of the chain link fence to horizontal support 21.

In order to transform the chain link fence into an enclosure structure which provides a high degree of privacy, a plurality of elongated slats 23 are inserted diagonally in the fashion shown in FIGURE 1, in a manner to be more fully described.

The transverse dimensions D (FIG. 4) of the elongated slats are slightly greater than the shortest dimension E between the wire forming the mesh of the chain link fence in order to provide frictional engagement between the edges of the slats 23 and the chain link fence mesh.

This frictional engagement can best be appreciated from a consideration of FIGURES 4 and 4a, which show one diamond-shaped opening 12 substantially identical to those in FIGURE 1. It can be seen that this diamondshaped opening is formed by the wires 11a, 11b, 11c and 11d. The configuration of these four wires is such as to form a trough T in which the slat 23 is inserted and positioned.

As can clearly be seen from an observation of FIGURE 4a, the slats 23 are formed of substantially elongated sheets and are provided with an arcuate-shape running transverse to the length thereof. The transverse dimension D of each slat, as stated, is slightly greater than the nearest dimension E between the wires 11a11c and 11a11d. Thus, the slat 23 is inserted into the trough T formed by the wire mesh, so that the concave side of the slat 23 faces the portions 11a and 11 of the wire mesh which are transverse to the length of slat 23 and further such that the longitudinal edges 23a and 23b of slat 23 abut the corners or bends 11g, 11h, 11 and 11k of the wires. It is the region or space T between these corners 11h through 11k and the transverse portions 112 and 11 that define the diagonal troughs T of the fence lattice structure. Thus it can be seen that the frictional engagement between slat 23 and the chain link mesh is due to the fact that the slat 23 has an arcuate shape and a fairly critical transverse dimension D which causes the edges 23:: and 23b to bear against the corners or bends 11h through 11k while the concave side of the slat 23 faces the transversely aligned portions 11c and 11 of the wire mesh, to provide the necessary frictional engagement therebetween. This arrangement thereby prevents any lateral movement whatsoever of the slats 23, due to the manner in which the arcuate slats 23 are inserted into the troughs T of the fence mesh.

FIGURE 1 shows the slats 23 in various stages in the insertion process. It can clearly be seen that the slats 23 are inserted into the diagonally aligned troughs T by inserting a first end of the slat into the top end of each trough and pushing the slats downwardly and to the left, until they reach the substantially fully inserted position. It can therefore be seen that due to the insertion operation employed that the dimensions D and E (see FIGURE 4) cannot be related to one another such that the frictional engagement would be so great as to prevent the insertion of the slats 23 into the troughs T. This being so, the slats are therefore amenable to experiencing motion in the longitudinal direction, and it is for this reason that some positive means of securement must be provided to prevent such longitudinal motion.

The securement provided in the instant invention is obtained through the use of the hand or power-operated tool 30, which can best be seen in FIGURES 2, 3a and 3b. The hand or power-operated tool 30 is comprised of a first substantially E-shaped member 31 having arms 32, 33 and 34 and a body portion 35 which comprise the E-shaped member. I

The forward arm 34 of the hand or power-operated tool 30 has an L clip 36 secured thereto by fastening means 37. The L clip 36 together with forward arm 34 acts as a means for positioning and securing a resilient cushion member 38 which may, for example, be a rubber pad. The flange 36a of L clip 36 acts to secure the rubber pad 38 in the position shown in FIGURES 2 and 3a.

The central arm 33 is comprised of first and second portions 33a and 33b (FIG. 3b) extending downward from the main body 35 of member 31, with the area between the extending porti-ons 33a and 33b being provided to guide a push-rod member 39. The push-rod 39 is secured between arms 33a and 3312 by means of a nylon pad 40 secured between arms 33a and 33b by pin means 41. Push-rod 39 is reciprocally mounted for movement in either the left-hand or right-hand direction, as shown by arrow 42 of FIGURE 3b in order that the forming and cutting operations may be performed in a manner to be more fully described.

A single action forming and cutting blade 43 is secured to the forward end 44 of the T-shaped push-rod member 39 by fastening means 45.

The body portion 35 of E-shaped member 31 in the area adjacent the resilient cushion 38 has a back-up plate 46 secured thereto at one end by fastening means 47. Adjustable screw members 48 are provided for the purpose of positioning the back-up plate 46, for a purpose to be more fully described. The adjustable screw means 48 may be moved upward or downward in the direction shown by arrows 49 for the purpose of pivoting the back-up plate 46 clockwise or counterclockwise respectively, about the fastening means 47.

A handle linkage 51 is pivotally secured to the rearward end of push-rod 39 by a pivot pin 52. Handle linkage 51 is also connected to toggle link 53 by means of a second pivot pin 54. The opposite end of toggle link 53 is pivotally linked to a threaded member 54a provided with an eyelet 55 for receiving pin means 56. The threaded member 54a extends through a suitable opening in arm 32 and is adjustably secured thereto by nuts 57 which threadedly engage member 540. By rotation of the nuts 57, member 54a may be moved either in the left-hand or right-hand directions, as shown by arrow 58, for a purpose to be more fully described.

Toggle link 53 is provided with a suitable threaded aperture for receiving a release screw 59 which is adjustable for the purpose of placing the hand or power operated tool 30 in either the operating or non-operating position, in a manner to be more fully described.

A spring member 60 has one end thereof secured to the body 35 of E-shaped member 31 by fastening means 61. The opposite end thereof is secured to push-rod 39 by fastening means 62. Spring means 60 acts to bias pushrod member 39 in the direction shown by arrow 63, thereby holding the hand or power operated tool 30 in the position of FIGURE 3a, in readiness for the forming and cutting operation.

The handle linkage 51 is formed from a substantially flat sheet which is bent to provide the handle 51 with a substantially U-shaped cross-sectional profile, so that its forward end 51a surrounds push-rod 39 on three sides and so that its rearward end 5112 curves around the rearward arm 32 when the tool 30 is in the collapsed posi tion so as to make the tool 30 extremely compact when in the collapsed position to facilitate storage and transportation thereof.

The manner in which the tool 30 is employed is as follows:

After insertion of the slats 23 into the diagonally aligned troughs of the chain link fence, the upper and lower ends of the slats 23 are bent around the chain link fence wire which runs transverse to the length of the slats, in the manner shown in FIGURE 4. For example, slat 23' of FIGURE 4 is bent around the wire 11a in the direction shown by arrow 65 so as to form the flap 66.

The tool 30 is then positioned relative to the flap 66, slat 23' and Wire 1112 in the manner shown in FIGURE 5. Referring to FIGURE 3b, it can be seen that the width F of blade 43 is slightly greater than the width D of the slats 23. However, the width G of arm 34 of E-shaped member 31 is substantially less than the width F of the blade 43. The reason for this is to enable the forward arm 34 to be inserted through the mesh or diamondshaped opening 12 of the chain link fence structure without frictionally engaging the wires forming the mesh of the chain link fence.

After positioning the tool 30 in the manner shown in FIGURE 5, the tool is gripped in such a manner byv either hand of the operator so that the hand is wrapped around the rearward portion of E-shaped member 31 as well as the handle linkage 51. The hand is then squeezed so as to rotate handle linkage 51 counterclockwise about pivot pin 52 in the direction shown by arrow 67 (see FIGURE 3a). This causes toggle link 53, which is pivotally secured to handle linkage 51 by pin 54, to rotate clockwise about pivot pin 56 in the direction shown by arrow 68 of FIG- URE 3a. The rotational movements of handle linkage 51 and toggle link 53 cause the distance between pins 52 and 56- to increase, thus imparting movement to pushtially and completely surrounds Wire 1111. A sharp bend 66b is formed in flap 66 in the region engaged by the cutting edge 43a of blade 43. This sharp bend 66b bears up against the main portion of slat 23 which acts as a rigid backing means enabling the blade to cut through flap 66.

Immediately after the cut through flap 66 is effected, the cutting edge 43a abuts against the main portion of slat 23' so as to slightly deform it in the region 660. However, since the backing immediately behind the deformed portion 66c is the resilient rubber pad 38, the blade is prevented from cutting through slat 23 and is able only to deform it or bend it slightly. The resilient pad 38 also serves to cause the slat to lock against the wire preventing slippage of the slat after a certain point is reached thus contributing to the eating action. At this time the forming and cutting operation is completed, and the hand squeezing the handle linkage 51 may be released. Upon release of the handle linkage, the handle linkage 51 and the push-rod 39 come under control of the biasing spring 60 which causes the push-rod 39, handle linkage 51 and toggle link 53 to return to the position shown in FIGURE 3a. The amount of forward travel of push-rod 39 and hence blade 43 is controlled by the setting of the threaded member 54. By setting the adjustable nuts 57 which threadedly engage threaded member 54a, the maximum forward motion of blade 43 may be readily and simply adjusted. In this manner the blade may be adjusted so that there is no danger whatsover of cutting through the main portion of slat 23', while at the same time the blade will completely out through the flap 66 in the manner described.

The manner in which the portion 66a of slat 66 curves around the wire 11a is controlled by the setting of the critical distance H (FIG. between the lower surface of back-up plate 46 and the cutting edge 43a of blade 43. This distance is made substantially equal to the diameter or gauge of wire 11:! plus the thickness of the slat material which is to be wrapped around wire 11a. The distance H should provide only minimum clearance so that when cutting edge 43a comes into engagement with flap 66 the flap will very tightly form itself about the wire 11a.

Upon completion of the forming and cutting operation and after removal of the tool the slat has the appearance of slat 23, shown in FIGURE 4. It can be seen that the end of the slat 66a provides a very neat, clean and aesthetic appearance and that there is no cutting edge exposed upon which anyone may injure themselves.

The lower end of each slat is formed and cut in a substantially identical manner so as to secure each slat at both its upper and lower end. The securement at each end coacts so as to absolutely prevent any longitudinal motion whatsoever of the slat 23 relative to the chain link fence. The securement is effected very completely and reliably and avoids completely the need for any additional fastening means whatsoever.

Thus it can be seen that slats inserted to chain link fences and the like may be simply and readily secured thereto so as to prevent the slats from experiencing both transverse and longitudinal motion by means of a hand or power operated tool which is extremely simple in operation and performs the forming and cutting operations simply and directly with only one squeeze of the tools handle linkage; thus, greatly facilitating the installation of fence lattice structures regardless of their size or height and without the need for any additional securing or fastening means.

FIGURE 4b shows a modified embodiment in which a chain fence may be afforded greater privacy by means of the modified slat 23" shown in FIGURE 4b. The slat 23 is cut at both ends on an angle so as to form the diagonal side 23a. The slat 23' is then pushed into the fence lattice structure in the manner shown in FIGURE 4b, so that the extreme tip 23b thereof may be bent around the element 11a of the fence mesh just slightly below the horizontally aligned fence member 21 of FIGURE 1. By making the forward end 36 of the tool extremely narrow, as represented by the dashed lines 36' in FIGURE 3b, the forward end of the tool carrying the resilient pad will fit through this small clearance and in the same manner as previously described will bend the extreme end portion around the element in the manner as shown at 72, to secure the slat 23' to the fence mesh. By positioning the upper end of each slat directly below the fence member 21 a maximum amount of privacy is afforded by the fence lattice structure. It should be understood that each additional slat within the assembly would be mounted and formed in the same manner as described hereandabove in order to form a fence having such increased privacy.

In order to provide an extremely compact arrangement for storage of tool 30, the adjustable screw 59 may be rotated in the direction so that its lower end adjacent the handle linkage 51 is moved away from the handle link-age 51 enabling the tool to be moved in the collapsed position with the handle linkage 51 parallel and adjacent the body portion 31 of tool 30. By rotating the adjust-able screw 59 in the reverse direction so that its lower end moves toward the handle linkage 51, the lower end of the said screw 59 will abut against the interior surface of handle linkage 51 to prevent it from moving to the fully collapsed position enough so that it will spring back to the position shown in FIGURE 34! upon release of the handle linkage 51. Thus, the said screw 59 performs the functions of enabling the tool to assume an extremely compact arrangement for storage or transportation thereof and further enabling the tool to spring back to the position of FIGURE 3a after the completion of each forming and cutting operation.

Although in the foregoing specification the instant invention has been described in accordance with preferred embodiments, many variations and modifications will now become apparent to those skilled in the art and it is preferred therefore, that the instant invention be limited not by the specific disclosure contained herein but only by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Hand operated means for securing elongated slats to chain link fences and the like wherein said slats are inserted into the troughs of said fence and bent to form flaps at the ends thereof, said means comprising an elongated member having a first arm at one end thereof; resilient cushion means positioned adjacent said first arm; reciprocal blade means slidably mounted in said elongated member; the cutting edge of said blade means being positioned to make contact with said cushion means; said hand-operated means being positioned with said slat resting against said cushion means and said flap facing said blade means to perform the securement operation; toggle means having a first end pivotally linked to said blade means and 'a second end pivotally linked to a second arm at the other end of said elongated member; said toggle means including a handle linkage movable toward said elongated member to extend said toggle means causing said blade means to move toward said cushion; said blade means forming a portion of said flap around the wire of said fence and cutting the remainder of said flap in one operation; said cushion means preventing said blade means for cutting the portion of the slat behind the flap.

2. Hand operated means for securing elongated slats to chain link fences and the like wherein said slats are inserted into the troughs of said fence and bent to form flaps at the ends thereof, said means comprising an elongated member having a first arm at one end thereof; resilient cushion means positioned adjacent said first arm; reciprocal blade means slidably mounted in respect to said elongated member; the cutting edge of said blade means being positioned to make contact with said cushion means; said hand-operated means being positioned with said slat resting against said cushion means and said flap facing said blade means to perform the securement operation; toggle means having a first end pivotally linked to said blade means and a second end pivotally linked to a second arm at the other end of said elongated member; bias means secured between said blade means and said elongated member to urge said toggle means toward a collapsed position; said toggle means including a handle linkage movable toward said elongated member to extend said toggle means causing said blade means to move toward said cushion; said blade means forming a portion of said flap around the wire of said fence and cutting the remainder of said flap in one operation; said cushion means preventing said blade means from cutting the portion of the slat behind the flap.

3. Hand operated means for securing elongated slats to chain link fences and the like wherein said slats are inserted into the troughs of said fence and bent to form flaps at the ends thereof, said means comprising an elongated member having a firs-t arm at one end thereof; resilient cushion means positioned adjacent said first arm; reciprocal blade means slidably mounted in said elongated member; the cutting edge of said blade means being positioned to make contact with said cushion means; said hand-operated means being positioned with said slat resting against said cushion means and said flap facing said blade means to perform the securement operation; toggle means having a first end pivotally linked to said blade means and a second end pivotally linked to a second arm at the other end of said elongated member; said toggle means including a handle linkage movable toward said elongated member to extend said toggle means causing said blade means to move toward said cushion; said blade means forming a portion of said fiap around the wire of said fence and cutting the remainder of said flap in one operation; said cushion means preventing said blade means from cutting the portion of the slat behind the flap; said cushion means being a rubber pad.

4. Hand operated means for securing elongated slats to chain link fences and the like wherein said slats are inserted into the troughs of said fence and bent to form flaps at the ends thereof, said means comprising an elongated member having a first arm at one end thereof; resilient cushion means positioned adjacent said firs-t arm; reciprocal blade means slidably mounted in said elongated member; the cutting edge of said blade means being positioned to make contact with said cushion means; said hand-operated means being positioned with said slat resting against said cushion means and said flap facing said blade means to perform the securement operation; toggle means having a first end pivotally linked to said blade means and a second end pivotally linked to a second arm at the other end of said elongated member; said toggle means including a handle linkage movable toward said elongated member to extend said toggle means causing said blade means to move toward said cushion; said blade means forming a portion of said flap around the wire of said fence and cutting the remainder of said' flap in one operation; said cushion means preventing said blade means from cutting the portion of the slat behind the flap; an adjustable back-up plate mounted on said elongated member adjacent to and substantially at a right angle to said cushion means; the distance between said blade means and said back-up plate being adjustable to bend said flap tightly around the wire of said fence.

5. Hand operated means for securing elongated slats to chain link fences and the like wherein said slats are inserted into the troughs of said fence and bent to form flaps at the ends thereof, said means comprising an elongated member having a first arm at one end thereof; resilient cushion means positioned adjacent said first arm; reciprocal blade means slidably mounted in said elongated member; the cutting edge of said blade means being positioned to make contact with said cushion means; said handoperated means being positioned with said slat resting against said cushion means and said flap facing said blade means to perform the securement operation; toggle means having a first end pivotally linked to said blade means and a second end pivotally linked to a second arm at the other end of said elongated member; said toggle means including a handle linkage movable toward said elongated member to extend said toggle means causing said blade means to move toward said cushion; said blade means forming a portion of said flap around the 'wire of said fence and cutting the remainder of said flap in one operation; said cushion means preventing said blade means from cutting the portion of the slat behind the flap; said blade means comprising a push rod and a blade secured to the forward end of said push rod.

6. The combination of claim 5, including an adjustable back-up plate mounted on said first arm adjacent to and substantially at right angles to said cushion means, the distance between said blade means back-up plate being adjustable to bend said flap tightly around the wire of said fence.

7. The combination of claim 5, including an adjustable member in said second arm, a pivotal connection between said second end and said adjustable member and wherein said adjustable member is movable to control the amount of penetration of said cushion means by said blade.

8. The combination of claim 5, including a set screw means threadedly engaging said second end at a point intermediate the ends thereof, said set screw means being adjustable in a first direction to limit the extended position of said toggle means and being adjustable in the reverse direction to permit said toggle means to attain its fully extended position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 165,402 7/1875 Bates 30-482 372,080 10/ 1887 Mitchell 75.4 542,035 7/1895 Willever 30-184 747,159 12/1903 Flagstad 7-S.5 2,760,211 8/1956 Gibbons et al. 75.4 2,875,655 3/1959 Lako 72451 2,966,873 1/1961 Hoffmann et a1. 72-466 CHARLES W. LANHAM, Primary Examiner. A. L. HAVIS, L. A. LARSON, Assistant Examiners. 

1. HAND OPERATED MEANS FOR SECURING ELONGATED SLATS TO CHAIN LINK FENCES AND THE LIKE WHEREIN SAID SLATS ARE INSERTED INTO THE TROUGHS OF SAID FENCE AND BENT TO FORM FLAPS AT THE ENDS THEREOF, SAID MEANS COMPRISING AN ELONGATED MEMBER HAVING A FIRST ARM AT ONE END THEREOF; RESILIENT CUSHION MEANS POSITIONED ADJACENT SAID FIRST ARM; RECIPROCAL BLADE MEANS SLIDABLY MOUNTED IN SAID ELONGATED MEMBER; THE CUTTING EDGE OF SAID BLADE MEANS BEING POSITIONED TO MAKE CONTACT WITH SAID CUSHION MEANS; BEING HAND-OPERATED MEANS BEING POSITIONED WITH SAID SLAT RESTING AGAINST SAID CUSHION MEANS AND SAID FLAP FACING SAID BLADE MEANS TO PERFORM THE SECUREMENT OPERATION; TOGGLE MEANS HAVING A FIRST END PIVOTALLY LINKED TO SAID BLADE MEANS AND A SECOND END PIVOTALLY LINKED TO A SECOND ARM AT THE OTHER END OF SAID ELONGATED MEMBER; SAID TOGGLE MEANS INCLUDING A HANDLE LINKAGE MOVABLE TOWARD SAID ELONGATED MEMBER TO EXTEND SAID TOGGLE MEANS CAUSING SAID BLADE MEANS TO MOVE TOWARD SAID CUSHION; SAID BLADE MEANS FORMING A PORTION OF SAID FLAP AROUND THE WIRE OF SAID FENCE AND CUTTING THE REMAINDER OF SAID FLAP IN ONE OPERATION; SAID CUSHION MEANS PREVENTING SAID BLADE MEANS FOR CUTTING THE PORTION OF THE SLAT BEHIND THE FLAP. 